Author's Notes: This story is a follow-up to I Lost Her and I Lost Him. You should read those two (I Lost Her first) before you read this to understand this story. You'll just be lost if you haven't already. Once again, this is in Val's POV, but it's not in first person like the other two. Oh, and I decided to be nice to Val this time around.
Slayers and all its respective characters, scenarios, situations, and the like belong to Kanzaka Hajime, Araizumi Rui, Kadokawa Shoten, TV Tokyo, SOFTX, Marubeni, Enoki Films USA, ADV Films, and everybody else holding copyrights to it, myself not included.
I Found Her By Annie-chanValteria Ul Copt lay on his bed, twisted up in the covers like he always was. He was never a very peaceful sleeper, his sleep always being invaded by strange dreams. Some were of unimaginable beauty, taking place in a breathtaking city and the surrounding countryside. Others were horrible nightmares about bloodshed, pain, insanity, hate, hopelessness, and despair. He always woke up from those dreams in a cold sweat, frightened to death and nearly in tears.
His mother, Filia Ul Copt, as well as Jillas and Gravos, the two who had helped his mother in her Mace and Vase shop, had been worried about his nightmares for as long as they had been occurring. Everything possible had been tried to keep the nightmares from coming back, but nothing worked. He had long since just accepted the fact that they were there, and tried to hide his distress from his mother as much as he could. Jillas and Gravos had been gone for several years now, having died from old age. He had taken it hard, for they had been his best friends, but there was something else. He always got the impression that he had known them before, in another time and another place. He tried to grasp the meaning of this feeling, but never could. After their deaths, he had given up hope of ever finding out.
Being ryuzoku, he was a stranger to the effects of old age. He himself would not experience it for many thousands of years, and even then he would not be close to dying. Ryuzoku didn't die from old age. At least, there was no record of it. It always distressed him whenever someone he liked grew old and died. Gourry and Lina Gabriev were gone, their descendents spread throughout the land, mostly centered in and around Sairaag. Zelgadis and Amelia Graywords had also passed on many years ago. Their descendents were now ruling Seyruun, and doing a good job at it. Seyruun was in one of its most peaceful and prosperous periods in recent history.
Those four had also been his friends, and they, too, seemed familiar to him from another time. He had tried everything he could to try to remember, but he just couldn't. He had lost most contact with their children, and hardly knew their grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Now, he hardly made contact with their families at all.
Everyone around him was short-lived. He and his mother were the only dragons around, everyone else in the village being human. He was the last of the Ancient Dragons, and his mother, who was actually his adoptive mother, was the last of the Golden Dragons. No dragon tribes lived around here, so he didn't have much contact with other dragon races. He tried not to grow too attached to any of the humans in the village, for they would eventually die and leave him alone, and he didn't want to have to lose anybody too close to him. Lina, Gourry, Zelgadis, and Amelia were the closest human friends he had ever had, and he didn't want to experience the grief their deaths had brought him again.
The only two people still alive that he had known since before he can remember, and the only two people who would live as long as he would, were his mother and that confounded mazoku Xellos Metallium.
Xellos came around sometimes, mostly to tease his mother and him. His mother usually lost her head and started swinging at Xellos with her mace, breaking a few (or a lot) of the vases in the shop. Valteria, on the other hand, knew very well Xellos wanted that kind of reaction, and he tried to keep himself from giving the mazoku the satisfaction. He usually kept his cool much more often than his mother on Xellos' visits. He just hoped his mother would eventually catch on.
His mother and Xellos were two more people that seemed familiar to him. He had about as much luck trying to remember them as he did with everybody else. After years of frustration, Valteria had pretty much given up on ever solving the mystery that had plagued him since his childhood.
Now, at four hundred thirty-six years of age, Valteria lay flat on his back in his bed, the sheets twisted around his body, making him look something like a caterpillar in a half-finished cocoon. The sun was coming up, shining on the curtains that shaded the window above his bed. He felt the warmth fall on his chest in a patch as it filtered through the light blue fabric. He had just awoken from a very peculiar dream, a dream about a young girl with the blackest hair he had ever seen and eyes as golden-yellow as his own were. It was the most lifelike dream he ever remembered having.
A memory from a past life? he thought. Do past lives really exist? He was certain she was of the Ancient Dragons. Her eyes were so similar to his own, and nobody he'd seen before had eyes like that. All the Ancient Dragons had been dead before he was hatched. He had once asked his mother how they had died out, and how she had come to care for his egg, but she had quickly diverted the subject and refused to acknowledge his attempts to return to his original questions. He had not brought the subject up again.
The dreams were the only thing that he had to give him reason to believe he had lived before. He was confused about whether to believe the dreams were lost memories, or just the products of a very active imagination.
He got up, still pondering over the dream about the girl, and wandered into the kitchen. His mother was up, sitting at the table with a cup of tea in her hands. She had a lot of work to do for the next couple of days, for Xellos had been here the day before, and a large portion of the vases in the shop had been broken. That damned mazoku had said something about someone named Valgaav, and Valteria's mother totally went bonkers. It was as if she didn't want Xellos to even mention anything about this Valgaav. Why not?
"Ohayô, Valteria," he mother said sweetly. Even this early in the morning, she managed to be cheerful. Maybe she was just happy she had a lot of things to do. Some days around the shop were slow, and the only thing to do really was for them to sit and talk about stuff. There were only so many things to talk about, too. His mother especially looked forward to the weekends, when the shop was closed and she could go out and spend the day in town. She loved that little shop of hers, but she also liked to get away from it when she could.
"Ohayô, Okâsan," he replied, pouring a cup of tea for himself. He wasn't that hungry that morning, so he skipped breakfast, telling his mother he'd find something in the woods if he got hungry. The woods had lots of fruit trees, so one had little risk of going hungry if they were out there for a few hours. Today, he was to go out and get some wood for the fireplace before going about his normal routine. He always liked doing that, for he liked walking through the woods, listening to the birds sing.
"Ja ne, Kâsan," he called as he walked out the front door. "I'll be back soon." He made his way through the forest, keeping his eye out for stray sticks as he looked for a suitable tree to chop up. It wasn't long, though, before he sensed that all was not right with his surroundings. He kept walking, and the feeling soon became unbearable.
"All right!" he called into the trees. "Whoever's hiding out there, come out and show me who you are!" When someone dropped from a tree not too far ahead of him, he wished he had just kept his mouth shut.
"Why, ohayô gozaimasu, Val-chan!" Xellos said with a smile. "So, you noticed I was watching you after all. You're getting better at that."
Usually, the mazoku priest just annoyed him, but something in his stance, his voice, reminded Valteria that the being that stood before him was very dangerous and very cruel. He backed up a step, his whole body ridged. He dropped the axe he had been carrying, but he hardly noticed. All his attention was focused on the grinning mazoku in front of him, every hair on his body standing on end.
"What's the matter, Val-chan?" Xellos asked innocently, starting in his direction.
"Don't call me that," Valteria retorted, slightly angered. He didn't like the familiarity Xellos was using with him.
"Oh, why not?" the demon asked, now very close to him indeed. To Valteria's dismay, he realized that he had not moved since that single back-step. Xellos lifted a hand and took hold of his chin lightly, looking straight into his eyes. "Is it because she called you that?"
"Who?" Valteria demanded, now more than slightly frightened. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"Why, your beloved Tionney, of course," Xellos replied. The name stirred something in Valteria's soul, but he couldn't identify what. All he could do was stare at Xellos in confusion. "You really don't remember her?" Xellos asked in genuine surprise. He suddenly smiled evilly. "Let me help you remember." Before Valteria could do anything, Xellos had grabbed hold of his neck and placed the other hand on his forehead. He murmured some kind of spell in the guttural mazoku language, and Valteria had no time to wonder about the meaning of those words before his mind was flooded with information.
He sucked in his breath sharply, eyes wide. It was as if someone was physically pouring new memories and thoughts into his mind. He could barely discern one memory from the next, but it was unmistakably a huge quantity. He tried to back away, but Xellos' hand around his neck prevented his retreat. He could only stand there, his body visibly shaking, his skin pasty white with shock and fear. Finally, Xellos loosened his hold, and Valteria dropped to his knees, gasping, very near tears. Just what in Ceipheed's name did the mazoku do to him?! Was he going to be all right?!
Xellos knelt down to his level. "Don't worry. You'll catch on to what just happened soon enough," he whispered malevolently into the young dragon's ear. Then, he vanished.
Valteria stayed on his hands and knees, trying to catch his breath and organize his thoughts. He was still trying to accomplish the latter long after he had succeeded in the former. He forced himself to his feet, forgetting completely about the axe he had dropped and the wood he was supposed to gather for his mother. He staggered back toward his home, nearly succumbing to the turmoil in his brain at least three times, but he made it.
"K-K-K-Kâsan!!!!" he rasped as he flung open the front door. He stumbled inside, starting to feel physically ill along with the malady currently making chaos out of his memories. He nearly missed the chair as he sat down at a small table, an intense wave of cold dizziness washing over him.
"Oh! My goodness!" his mother exclaimed, rushing over to him. "Valteria, what in the world happened to you?"
"X-Xel-Xellos," he stammered. "Xellos. I r-ran into him in the woods. He did…he did something t-to me. I-it's making me s-sick. A-and, I can't th-think str-straight." His breathing was hard and gasping, and he was beginning to feel faint. I'm gonna kill that damned mazoku!
His mother placed her hand on his forehead. "Sweetheart, you're burning up." As she said so, she took hold of his wrist, only to drop it again in alarm. "Your heartbeat is so fast, I can hardly tell one beat from the next! Get to bed, right this instant!"
He tried to rise, only to fall back into the chair. "Easier said than done," he growled, his patience with whatever the mazoku had done with him starting to wear thin. His mother thought for a second, then slung one of his arms over her shoulders, wound her arm around his waist, and pulled him upright. She supported him as they made their way to his bedroom. Thank goodness for dragon strength, for without it, his mother probably wouldn't have been able to do it, due to his substantially greater height and weight. She gently laid him down on his bed and ran to the kitchen to get some water for him.
His mother closed the shop for the day, due to his illness, and it was nearly six hours until he started to improve. Not too long after noon, his breathing and heartbeat started to go back to normal, and the storm in his head began to calm. Although he felt better physically, the calming in his mind just made it all the worse.
He was starting to remember clearly now. He could recall almost everything from his past life, and most of it horrified him beyond measure.
The genocide. Blood, screaming, mangled corpses, broken eggs, a feeling of deepest betrayal.
His life under the Chaos Dragon. Hate, scorn, hopelessness, mental games, beatings, sexual torture, the worst forms of degradation.
His stolen revenge. Shock, anger, a hatred for the Beastmaster's chief servant that would never leave him in peace.
Gaav's death. His own mind warring with itself, the final loss of control, the beginning of his descent into madness.
His dealings with Lina and the others. The most turbulent part of his short, tortured life. His hatred and insanity that nearly brought this world to its end.
He had hated Lina and her friends. He had hated his mother. He had hated Xellos even more than he did in this life. He had hated everyone in this whole damned world.
But, the one memory that terrified him the most was that of love. Love so powerful that its loss tore apart his soul and made him forever unstable in his emotions. That love had a face, a body. The face and body of the most beautiful creature he ever beheld in his life. Her hair black as a starless midnight, her skin as white as a dove's wing, her eyes more intensely golden than the sun itself. His beloved Tionney. His soul mate. His devotion undying, even through the haze of evil emotions he came to know in his slavery to Gaav.
He remembered everything about her. Their meeting as hatchlings in the rookery, the friendship that soon developed into love deeper than either had imagined possible, his spirited proposal to her, her immediate acceptance, their one and only night together…her murder the day after.
Tears welled up in his already exhausted eyes. The feeling of loss was just as sharp as it was the moment she breathed her last in his arms that day so many years ago. If only she had survived! If only he could have saved her! He had been studying healing magic for a few years before her death, but had never really caught on, due to his preference for exorcism spells. If only he had paid more attention to the healer's lessons! If he had been able to save her, he would never have lost his sanity, his dignity like he did!
The tears threatened to spill over. Then, he remembered her dying words to him, that they will be together again someday. How could that be?! She was dead! And he would never die, save through some fatal injury or sickness. Suicide was out of the question…he could never leave his mother all alone in the world like that.
He felt a wail of grief and rage well up in his throat. Before he could drown it out in his pillow, it tore itself free and echoed throughout the house. Then, he collapsed, his face buried in his pillow, his voice absolutely still. The tears flowed unchecked from his eyes.
It wasn't more than half a minute before he heard the door slowly open. It was his mother. The mattress sagged a bit as she crossed the floor and sat down on the bed next to him, not saying a word. After a minute, she reached out and placed her hand on his quivering shoulders.
"Valteria?" she ventured. He made no response. He didn't even acknowledge her presence. "Valteria, honey, dô shita no?" He still made no response. "Sweetheart, if you don't talk to me, I can't help you through this." Her voice had an undertone of apprehension tinged with fear, as if she had an idea of what had happened to her son. Finally, he lifted his head slightly and began to speak, his voice barely above a whisper.
"I remember you. I remember Xellos…Lina-tachi…Jillas…Gravos…Gaav…Raltark…Rashaat…my people…everybody. I remember everything." His mother sucked in her breath, but said nothing, letting him finish. "Xellos…he released my memories…he knew exactly what he was doing…I…I think he did it as revenge for everything I did to him…especially what I did to him just before—" he faltered, "—before Lina-san killed me." He looked up at his mother, the sight of her inciting conflicting feelings. The love a son has for his mother…the hate he held for all Golden Dragons…love…hate…love…hate…
"Valteria," his mother said gently, offering her embrace to him. "It's all right, sweetheart. It's all in the past. Don't think about it." He stared helplessly for a moment, then gave in, wrapping his arms around her and crying against her shoulder. She stroked his long green hair, constantly whispering assurances to her distraught young son.
"Kâsan! It's horrible! Please make it stop!" he pleaded, his voice sounding more like a lost child's than a full-grown man's.
"Shhhhhhhh. Daijôbu, daijôbu," she murmured. It continued on like that for several minutes, and she soon felt him winding down. She looked at his face and saw he was nearly asleep. She gently laid him back down on the bed, kissed his forehead, and exited the room, praying he wouldn't have nightmares.
He slept for the rest of the day and all that night, clear through to the next morning. When he awoke, he got up and headed outside before going to the kitchen, where his mother could be heard cooking breakfast. He stared up at the blue sky for a long time, lost in his thoughts, until he heard his mother's voice coming from right next to him.
"Are you all right?" she asked. "I've called you five times already. Breakfast is ready." She then looked away, a blush of embarrassment staining her cheeks as she suddenly remembered that he had every right not to be all right that morning.
He looked down at her, attempting a smile. "Hai, Okâsan." With that, he followed her into the house.
The next several weeks were tense. He never knew when a memory would pop up out of nowhere and threaten to make him burst into tears where he stood. His mother never knew what would suddenly cause a bout of anger, sadness, helplessness, or the like. They both were walking on eggshells, and neither knew how to amend it. That is, until, finally, a month and a half later, Valteria stumbled across someone in the forest.
He was walking through the forest again, only this time looking for an apple tree he knew would be ripe for the picking right about then. His mother had asked him to get a basketful of apples for her to make a wild apple pie. He had agreed, wanting to take the chance to be alone to think. It was then that he met her.
In the clearing with the apple tree, there was a young girl sitting with her back against one of the oak trees lining the clearing. She seemed to be asleep, but opened her eyes as he came near.
"Hello," she said kindly. "Are you here to pick some of those apples? You should. They're awfully good. Go ahead, that tree doesn't belong to anybody." His heart started beating quickly when he heard her voice. He knew that voice. "I'm a Black Dragon," she continued. "My family and I just moved here. We want a little peace and quiet, away from the city."
"Really?" he asked, his excitement building. "I'm Ancient Dragon."
"Ancient Dragon?" she asked, incredulous. "Aren't they—"
"I am the last," he said quickly, cutting her off before she could say it.
"Oh," she said, a hint of pity in her voice. Then, she stood up and walked out of the shadow of the tree. "Well, I'm Tionney. Nice to meet you."
His heart nearly stopped when he saw her. Midnight hair…golden eyes…everything was the same. Even her name. The wild, joyful cry in his soul as he sensed her familiar, dearly beloved life-force only confirmed it.
I found her! he cried out mentally. She's come back to me as a Black Dragon! We're together again! He shook himself out of his trance, and replied, "I'm Valteria." He barely managed to keep his voice steady.
She studied him for a minute, then posed a question. "Tell me, Valteria. Do you believe in love at first sight?" He immediately nodded. "Well," she whispered, coming very close. "I think I do, too, now."
Before he could respond, she had wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her full lips onto his. He was momentarily taken aback, not having expected something like this. He soon threw away his shock and embraced her back, holding to her as tight as he could without making it hard for her to breathe. After several minutes, she broke the kiss and laid her head against his chest.
"There's something special about you, Val-chan," she murmured dreamily.
"Mmhmm," he replied, the first true smile in this life coming to his lips. For the first time in nearly fifteen hundred years, he was at peace.
OwariAuthor's Notes: Yay! Val-kun gets a happy ending! I hardly ever see a happy ending for him. I don't know if I'm just missing a bunch of fanfics, or if I'm one of the only people who want to give Val-kun a break. Come on, people, he deserves one after all that hell he had to go through! Please send any comments you have to mangareader@hotmail.com, onegai shimasu! I'd really like to hear what you have to say.